In one video, Mr. Maduro tries to calm the pot-bangers by walking among them, only to be surrounded as the furious crowd yells obscenities. If the referendum happens this year and Mr. Maduro loses, Venezuelans will have the opportunity to elect a new president. If Mr. Maduro loses in 2017, the leftist vice president will serve what is left of his six-year term. The confrontation in Villa Rosa suggests that the tide may have turned in an area that once supported the president. It voted for Mr. Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez, in previous elections by significant margins.

Source: New York Times September 03, 2016 18:52 UTC